Abgewendet

Abgewendet is the past participle of the German verb abwenden, formed from ab- (away, off) and wenden (to turn). The term is used to describe the act of averting or turning away something, such as a danger or an objection, as well as the act of turning away from someone or something in a figurative sense. It can also function as an attributive or predicative adjective in contexts where the action of averting or turning away has occurred.

In its primary sense, abwenden means to avert, prevent, or forestall. The phrase eine Gefahr abwenden (to avert a danger) is common, as in Die Gefahr wurde abgewendet. Another frequent construction is etwas abwenden, for example eine Krise abwenden or politische Krisen abwenden. In these uses, the past participle commonly appears as abgewendet (with a passive or perfect construction: Die Gefahr ist abgewendet worden / Die Gefahr wurde abgewendet).

The reflexive form s ich abwenden means to turn away from someone or something. The typical participle form used with reflexive construction is sich abgewandt, as in Er hat sich von ihr abgewandt. This reflects a slightly different nuance from the transitive sense, which more often yields abgewendet.

As a noun, Abwendung denotes the act or result of turning away or averting, often used in discussions of strategic or moral shifts, risk management, or social attitudes, e.g., die Abwendung von einem radikalen Kurs.

Synonyms include verhindern, abwenden, vermeiden, and abhalten. Antonyms relate to turning toward or embracing, such as zuwenden or sich zuwenden.

See also: Abwendung, abgewiesene Maßnahmen.